Desk clip for message blanks



May 29, ma 1,671,869

R. l. HEADER EI'AL n DESK. CLIP FOR IESSAGB BLANKS Filed June 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Paw!" Alea/afer GMM R. l. MEDER ET AALl vssx LIP Fon massima amas A Filed me 12,1925 z sums-sheet 2 y l SMM@ attenua* Patented May 29, 192,8.

i UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.`

RALPH I. HEADER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND ERNEST WARDEN HEWITT, F

STANFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGN ORS T0 THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DESK CLIP FOR MESSAGE BLANKS.

Application Bled June 12, 1925.

This invention relates to a spring clip'device for attachment to a desk for holding loose leaf blank forms and while especially intended for holding telegraph message blanks, it may be used for holding letter heads, bill heads or other unpadded or loose leaves or blanks upon 4a desk.

The purpose of our invention is qto provide a clip attachment for removably holding a pile or stack of loose blanks, such as message blanks, upona desk in orderly arrangement while permitting the blanks to bev Withdrawn one by one Without disturbing the remaining blanks.

In the following descrlption we shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lis a top plan view, partly broken away to'better show the construction of a clip embodving our invention and showing the manner of attaching it to a desk.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the same.

In order to maintain the loose blanks in an orderly pile while the top blank is being withdrawmwe have found it desirable to provide means for holding the blanks yieldingly along one side edge with a pressure which increases progressively along said edge. Inthis manner the upper blank may be slid from under the end of the clip which bears more lightly upon the blanks while the bulk of blanks is firmly held in position by the greater pressure of the remaining portions of the clip. As this upper blank is now pulled laterally, it movesprogressively from the other portions of the clip andas it is slid from under the successive portions thereof, said portions in turn-bear upon the g next lower blank.

As one means of accomplishing the purpose above described, we provide a plurality of fingers 1, 1b, l, projecting over one edge of the blanks 5 and provided with intermediate downwardly bent perforated ears 4 pivoted on the rod 3. The inner ends of the fingers may be connected by a flexible wire or rod 6, although this is not absolutely necessary. The pressure lingers are maintained under tension by springs 8, the free end of each spring being secured to an ear 4 of one of the fingers, the opposite endl being fastened to a collar 10 which is rotatable on the rod 3 and may be locked in any adjusted Serial No. 36,687.

position by means of a pin 12 passing through the collar and into an aperture in the rod. In this manner the tension of the springs may be adjusted as desired. The

'ends of the rod 3 are carried by aperturcd blanks by bearing upon the outer margin y of the plate 18, the pressure, being trans mitted directly. to the outer ends of the fingers which are thereby rocked upon the rod 3 against the tension of the springs 8.

We provide a stop member, preferably in the form ot' an angle plate 25, which is screwed to-the desk in position to align the right hand edges of the blanks. We also provide a headblock 21 which is undercut along its lower edge 21a so that as a pile of blanks 5 is inserted under the pressure bar and slid upwardlyagainst the headblock, the blanks will slide upon each other until their edges conform to the inclination ofl the undercut block and the bottom edges 5 will form an overhanging ledge. Hence the top blank will always project over the edges of'those below and may be readily lifted and graspedabetween the fingers and thumb.

This loose leaf clip is especially useful for holding telegraph message blanks upon a socalled gumming table. The messages are received in printed form upon a continuous i strip of paper which is gummed upon the underside. The strip is guided through a moistening wol l which is grasped in the right hand of the operator. The free end of the lstrip is positioned on the message blank and held `with the left hand while the mois` lUl) . vat the lower right -hand corner by the thumb 'and linger of the left hand and is raised has been Completed, the top blme .is lifted until it clears the stop-plate 25. It is then slid from thepile or stack by pulling to the right, the upper portion slidfng readily from under the flexible bar 6 because of the light pressure of the finger 1al and then sliding diagonally from under the lingers 1b and lu without disturbing the pilevof blanks beneath. Thus the right hand of the operator is free to manipulate the tape moistening and pressing tool. We claim l. A desk clip for holding loose leaf blanks, comprising a supporting member, a

' plurality' of spring-pressed lingers pivotally sure of each finger individually.

3. A clip for holding looseloaf blanks.V

upon a desk, comprising a supporting mem ber provided with means to secure the same to a desk. a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted thereon and positioned to bear upon a margin of the blanks, separate springsearried by said supporting member and having adjustable tensioning 'means connected respcctively to said fingers, and a stop member secured to the deskv to bear -against the edge of the blanks opposite said margin.

4. A desk clip as set forth in claim 3, and a head block extcndfng across the top edges' of the blanks.

5. In a desk clip as set forth inclaim 3,

the head block being undercut to thereby cause the lower edge of each loose leaf or sheet to project over the edgeof the next lower leaf or sheet.

6. A desk clip for holding the loose leaf blanks, as set forth in claim l, and a flexible pressure member connected to said lingers. l

In testimony tures.

RALPH I. MEADER. ERNEST WARDEN HEWITT.

whereof we affix our signa- 

